Spain is about to ban Netanyahu and cut off Israel’s weapons pipeline

In Madrid, ministers are preparing for a Tuesday vote that could redefine Spain’s place in the Middle East conflict. What began with sharp words has spiraled into a rupture, as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government readies an unprecedented package of sanctions against Israel. At its core is a sweeping arms embargo, no sales, no transfers, no exports of weapons or military technology, direct or indirect.

The order extends to private firms as well as state entities, cutting off a pipeline of contracts that once tied Spanish and Israeli defense industries together.

But the embargo is just the beginning. Sánchez’s coalition partner Yolanda Díaz of Sumar has pushed the government to go further, insisting that Benjamin Netanyahu himself be declared persona non grata. If approved, the Israeli premier would be barred from setting foot on Spanish soil, a rebuke usually reserved for dictators and pariahs, now aimed at the sitting leader of a close European trade partner.

Ministers have also floated extending the ban to far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, deepening the insult.

Diplomatic ties are also on the line. El País reports that Spain is considering recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv, a symbolic but powerful gesture of estrangement. Such a step would leave Spain without senior representation in Israel and mark one of the lowest points in the two countries’ relationship since they established diplomatic relations in 1986.